Every year I worry I won’t find new music enjoyable and that I will inevitably turn into one of those people stuck in the era of music from their formative years, recycling the same tunes, grumping about how they don’t make it like they used to. Every year I am glad to be wrong.
These are my favourites from 2022. And because this is my list, expect a couple of Eurovision entries. Sorry not sorry.
- Stay Soft – Mitski
Spotify says it was love at first listen. I’ve heard this song a total of 44 times. Gentle but dark yet highly sensual. Hands down the song of the year for me. - Santé – Stromae
Has it been 9 years already since Papaoutai? Well worth the wait. What a clever song celebrating the ones who have to work while others are partying. Everything this man touches is exciting and colourful. Beyond thrilled to witness his return. - saudade, saudade – MARO
Fuck this one hits me in the feels. Saudade is an untranslatable Portuguese term that refers to a sad state of intense longing for someone or something that is absent. I remember playing this song on repeat while in the train going south from Belfast to Dublin, already nostalgic for a journey that wasn’t quite over. - Die Hard – Kendrick Lamar
Moody, introspective K-Dot is my favourite K-Dot. Die Hard is equal parts emotional and infectious, a track I find myself returning to most from the album. But it is worth mentioning that the tenderness and awareness in his voice on Auntie Diaries was what had me bawling in traffic. - Bam Bam – Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran
Never thought I would listen to anything with Ed Sheeran in it but both their voices here complement each other well with an addictive chorus to boot. - Modern Job – Sprints
Found this Dublin band by chance while looking for new punk music. Only 5 tracks on their EP and each one of them is solid. It’s angry, angsty, sarcastic and encapsulates all the emotions of the past couple of years. Front-woman, Karla’s disinterested delivery also lends itself well to the noisy, gritty guitar riffs. - This Hell – Rina Sawayama
WHAT. A. BOP. I’m getting Shania Twain, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa vibes. The production is phenomenal. The self-acceptance message is joyous. The line “fuck what they did to Britney, to Lady Di’, and Whitney” gives me goosebumps. Seems like a departure from her previous stuff but I’m 100 percent here for it. - Chaise Longue – Wet Leg
Sense of humour of my generation. It’s fun! Quirky! Maybe too quirky to the point of annoyance for some. Don’t care. Great guitar riffs anyway. - Free Yourself – Jessie Ware
I’m a sucker for bright piano chords. It’s also dancey, has an uplifting message and a retro disco feel. - Með hækkandi sól – Systur
Iceland’s Eurovision entry. Quite forgettable the first time I heard it. Then by sheer coincidence, I heard it again at a pub in Derry a few months later and finally something clicked. The music evokes feelings of soft snow falling gently on the ground. I could sense the hopefulness in that Nordic melancholy sound – a reminder that seasons are cyclical and the sunnier days are impending.
mostly earnest 
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